Wedding photographers capture memories that will last a lifetime. From a couple's first kiss as newlyweds to their celebratory first dance, professional photographers simply have a way of harnessing a multitude of emotions on film. And as much as we love to scroll through wedding albums, it's the stories behind these pictures that can truly transform a pretty photo into something astoundingly beautiful. To celebrate this beauty, WomansDay.com asked wedding photographers to share the most memorable moments they've ever captured—and the stories that made each photo so powerful.

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1"The father says goodbye to his little girl."

courtesy of David Murray Weddings

"I always ask to be included with all parts of a bride and groom's day, including transportation to the ceremony and reception. One never knows when that special moment and connection will occur. Caroline was reading a letter written by her dad, while both were being driven to the ceremony. The letter expressed the father's love and pride for his daughter. Dad started to tear up, which made Caroline do the same. At that moment she said, 'Dad, if you continue like this I am going to ruin my makeup!' With that she started to laugh, which eventually let dad do the same. This photo illustrates two milestones on a wedding day—that of the joyous bride and her future life, while the father says goodbye to his little girl." --David Murray, David Murray Weddings

2"As she introduced her new husband to her grandfather, it brought tears to my eyes."

courtesy of Rodeo & Co. Photography

"Molly grew up on a dairy farm in New Hampshire, and she and her groom, Alex, had a lovely tented reception at the farm property. Alex is from Australia and his family and friends flew to the United States for their big day. After a beautiful ceremony in the same house Molly's parents and grandparents were wed in, we returned to the farm. Molly's beloved grandfather had recently lost his wife and had taken ill, and was upset that he couldn't attend the tented event outside. Molly took several minutes out of her big day to bring Alex into the farmhouse and visit with her grandfather. I was so incredibly moved by her gentleness and humbleness as she introduced her new husband to her grandfather that it brought tears to my eyes behind my viewfinder. I stayed in the doorway to give them the privacy they needed, and in this moment I knew that I was doing what I was meant to do—document the authentic and touching moment unfolding before my eyes." --Meg McGovern Hamilton, Rodeo & Co. Photography

3"All of the guests began crying immediately."

courtesy of Victor Lax Photography

"I captured this moment during Maria and Mario´s wedding. Ian, the son of Maria and Mario, walked up to his father and tried to kiss him during the ceremony. All of the guests began crying immediately." --Victor Lax, Victor Lax Photography

4"On the other side of this image is a father speaking to his daughter and new son."

courtesy of M Three Studio Photography

"On the other side of this image is a father speaking to his daughter and new son. He talks about how he and his wife immigrated to this country to give her a better and easier life than they had in Venezuela, and how the groom's parents did the same from India. How they fought, scrimped, and molded these two children into Americans. How they found each other. And now, here he stands, in the immaculate courtyard of an Italian mansion on a perfect summer day with a feast before them, witnessing the wedding of two first-generation Americans of different cultures, coming together and making something greater than themselves. And one of them is his daughter! And he gets to stand here, raise a glass to her, and have this moment. For the father, it was an out-of-body experience, the illustration of a dream realized after decades. The bride wasn't the only one shedding tears as this image was snapped. I might have been a bit misty-eyed behind the lens also." --Molly Michel, M Three Studio Photography

5"This image has become synonymous with her joyful life before tragedy struck."

courtesy of Arrowood Photography

"On September 29, 2012, I was at Beltane Ranch shooting the wedding of the future Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Diaz. The bride was Brittany Maynard. It was a pretty, outdoor, ranch-themed wedding and the kind of wedding I like to shoot best. Brittany wore cowboy boots and had a sweet group of bridesmaids with her. Like everyone else in attendance at the wedding, I had no idea what the future had in store for this couple and the life-changing (and world-changing) implications of their lives. The image I took of Brittany and her bridesmaids has become synonymous with her joyful life before tragedy struck."

"A little over a year after her wedding, Brittany was diagnosed with grade 2 Astrocytoma, a form of brain cancer. After surgery, a few months after, her condition was elevated to grade 4 Astrocytoma, also known as glioblastoma, with a prognosis of six months to live. Because of her decision to die with dignity, Brittany quickly became the young face of the group called Compassion and Choices. She moved from California to Oregon where she would have the right to die with dignity through the ingestion of prescription drugs from her doctor. Her medical condition and choice to end her life at the age of 29 swept the nation and became highly publicized. Along with the support of her family, Brittany chose to end her life on November 1, 2014. On October 15, 2015, Governor Jerry Brown of Brittany's home state signed the Right to Die bill into law."

"Brittany Maynard Diaz and her loving family have changed the lives of so many people. Looking back at her wedding photos you would never know this beautiful, young, active bride would face such life-changing decisions and impact the lives of so many others in the course of a short time. It's a privilege and an honor to be part of these families and part of their history." --Tara Arrowood, Arrowood Photography

6"This was by far the most beautiful moment I've ever captured!"

courtesy of Santiago Murillo Photography

"One of the most important images I believe I've ever taken was right before I was about to leave a wedding. I started to pack up my gear when the groom came up to me and asked if I could stay a few more minutes to capture him dancing with his grandma."

"I'm so glad I did! The groom's grandma was in her mid 90s and had so much trouble walking. It was truly amazing to see her lift herself up and start walking to the dance floor. Though they barely moved during the entire song, it was the most beautiful dance I've ever photographed. Her face was so full happiness as she tried her best to make even the smallest of steps. He wrapped his arms around her the entire dance, and as soon as he went to kiss her forehead, I began to lose it. This was by far the most beautiful moment I've ever captured!" —Santiago Murillo, Santiago Murillo Photography

7"Her mom had died from cancer a few years before her wedding."

courtesy of Two Mann Studios

"This is a photo of our bride reading a letter written to her by her mother, who died from cancer a few years before her wedding." --Erika Jensen-Mann, Two Mann Studios

8"To me, his expression says a thousand words."

courtesy of Teness Herman Photographer

"Three weeks after I got engaged, my fiancée took my son Beau on a bicycle ride in the canyons. They were coming down a hill and my husband hit a rock and went over the top of the bike and hit his head. He was paralyzed and couldn't move. My son (now Joe's stepson) had to run over a mile out of the canyon to find help. Joe was helicoptered out to the emergency room where he was stabilized and hospitalized for a month. He had many fractured vertebrae and a spinal cord injury which left him with paralysis. On Christmas, 12 days after the accident, he walked 10 steps with assistance. Beau counted them. Then Beau asked, 'Are we still getting married?' We decided at that moment to go with our wedding date, which was in just 6 months. I pictured Joe in a wheelchair, but instead he limped down the aisle on our wedding day, grateful to have legs that worked. Because of this, one of the most, if not the most powerful photo is this picture in which Beau is looking at us during the ceremony. To me his expression says a thousand words...But maybe you had to be there." --Susan Bordelon, Teness Herman Photographer

9"She managed to dance and smile like she had a lifetime to live."

courtesy of Arrowood Photography

"Margot's mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given only a few months to live. Margot and her fiancé Charles planned their wedding quickly in hopes that her mother could attend. I felt immense responsibility to capture this beautiful woman during her daughter's wedding celebration so that her family would have lasting memories of the final weeks before her death. Just minutes before the ceremony, the ladies of the family made a woman's prayer circle. Nothing was mentioned about Margot's mom's illness; just messages of love and support and many tears around the circle. Her mother not only made it to the wedding, but also she managed to dance and smile like she had a lifetime to live."

"Less than three months after the wedding, the beautiful woman passed on. Margot wrote me with this note: 'You so beautifully captured the day, our love and the spirit of the people we love. I went through some of them with my mom who said, 'Oh! I AM a beautiful woman!' after years of us all telling her that this is the case. Thank you so much for that.' Kindness and love and storytelling—this is what motivates me to capture images that will be priceless treasures for years to come." --Tara Arrowood, Arrowood Photography

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